Pakistan Air Force (PAF) among top 10 most powerful air forces globally
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
List is based on aircraft inventory, including fighter jets, helicopters, and support aircraft.
A recent report published on a globalfirepower.com website has ranked the world’s most powerful air forces based on their aircraft inventory, including fighter jets, helicopters, and support aircraft.
The United States was identified as the strongest air force globally, followed by Russia and China in second and third places, respectively. India ranked fourth, South Korea fifth, and Japan sixth, with Pakistan securing the seventh spot.
The report noted that the US Air Force is unrivalled, with a fleet that exceeds the combined air capabilities of Russia, China, India, South Korea, and Japan. It operates 5,737 helicopters, 1,854 fighter jets, and 3,722 support aircraft, with an annual budget of $800 billion, accounting for nearly 40% of global military spending.
Russia, with one-third of US air power, operates 1,554 helicopters, 809 fighter jets, and 610 support aircraft. However, it has suffered losses, with 220 aircraft destroyed since the onset of the Ukraine war in 2022.
China, ranked third, has been investing heavily in modernising its air force and recently added its sixth-generation fighter jet to its fleet. The country is also working on supersonic aircraft.
India, South Korea, and Japan follow with 2,296, 1,576, and 1,459 aircraft, respectively. Pakistan, ranked seventh, operates 1,434 fighter jets, helicopters, and support aircraft. Egypt, Turkey, and France round out the top ten, with respective inventories of 1,080, 1,069, and 972 aircraft.
The report highlights the evolving landscape of air power, with countries like China rapidly advancing their technological capabilities, while others, such as Russia, face challenges in maintaining their fleets due to ongoing conflicts.
Reference Link:- https://tribune.com.pk/story/2524867/paf-among-top-10-most-powerful-air-forces-globally
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
